Before he even says a word, other characters are already shaping the viewer's perception of Tahno: Bolin is nearly paralyzed with fear upon first sight of him and warns Korra that he's a "nasty dude" who should not be messed with under any circumstances. What exactly he did to deserve such a reputation is unknown, but one thing is clear– this guy's trouble.
Tahno carries himself with an air of superiority compared to everyone else around him, even his teammates and fans, which makes intimidating people like Bolin quite easy. He isn't at all modest about his pro-bending team's various victories, his waterbending talents or the fact that he's good looking. Being the best is something he strives for and actually manages to achieve until the Fire Ferrets come on to the scene. When it becomes apparent that their team is legitimately talented and has a decent chance of knocking his own out of the Championship, Tahno immediately resorts to cheating – first by attempting to goad Korra into hitting him after their first meeting and later by breaking several rules in their official match against one another. In contrast to his previously calm and collected manner, he acts very dramatic and overemotional when faced with the possibility of losing, going as far as to instruct his teammates to send the Fire Ferrets to a "watery grave" all because of a simple game.
With his carefully curled hair and spiked eyeliner, Tahno sticks out like a sore thumb among pro-benders. In contrast to many of them, he lives for the glamor of it all. Keeping up appearances is just as imperative as winning to him. He always looks primped and polished, even when competing. While his equally glamorous teammates tuck their flowing locks inside their helmets during matches, Tahno lets his hair hang free so he can smugly flip it around in front of his opponents.
When the Wolfbats cheat during the Championship Tournament, the announcer sounds genuinely shocked and surprised. That leads me to believe this is a unique circumstance and something done out of desperation rather than habit. The Fire Ferrets were extremely talented up-and-comers and the first real threat the Wolfbats faced since they started competing. So while some of Tahno's gloating may be untrue, it seems that he really is a champion-level waterbender.
Tahno is also implied to be highly sexual, but considering the target audience of the show, it's presented in an implicit manner. In The Spirit of Competition, he's seen with a woman on each arm like a typical playboy. Later, he's shown invading Korra's personal space without a second thought and offering "private lessons." Though it was merely an attempt to rile her up, there's still plenty of sensuality involved in his speech and body language.
Surprisingly, Tahno is the first character on the show to stand up to Amon (the villain of the series) when confronted – everyone else is terrified of him, even the Avatar herself. This may make it seem like he's a very brave person, but in actuality he only does so out of pride. He regrets it the moment he's overpowered; that pride quickly melts into fear and anguish as he begs Amon not to take his bending.
Overabundance of pride is Tahno's ultimate downfall. Though his team wins the tournament (through unfair and underhanded means), he loses something much more important: his bending. Not only is this is akin to having a piece of his soul torn away, but it also means that the career he's put years of work into is now automatically over. The next time we see him, he's a complete mess. Everything that made him an intimidating figure before has been stripped away, leaving only a disheveled, sad shell of who he used to be. When he spots Korra, he calls her attention to him using her actual name for the first time rather than a belittling nickname. They proceed to have a polite conversation which concludes with Tahno requesting that Korra exact revenge on Amon for him, and she agrees. While this scene isn't proof that Tahno had a change of heart over night, it shows that he's moving in a different direction and becoming a little more respectful and less of a jerk. He's still not that nice of a guy – he had the chance to apologize to Korra for his previous actions, but chose not to. However, we can see that the potential is there.
After Tahno lost his bending, not only did it sever his unique spiritual connection to the element of water, but also destroyed a major piece of his identity. His occupation as a pro-bender was something he obviously took a lot of pride in and an important part of his life. Rather than resting after his traumatic experience, he spends the entire night visiting the best healers in the city and desperately trying to find a way to get his bending back. His bending means everything to him. It's who he is.
The fact that he's completely alone in the police station is telling. This is a stark contrast to a scene later in the series when Korra loses her bending; she's surrounded by friends and family who support her through every second of it. Tahno, on the other hand, has absolutely no one. If law enforcement felt it necessary to interrogate him about losing his bending, it would make sense for them to interview his two teammates as well, but neither of them are anywhere in sight. It's almost as if his failure is contagious and everyone wants to avoid him. Since Tahno is someone who craves attention and validation, we can assume this abandonment is making his depression that much worse. There's no doubt that he's been humbled by this experience, but again, humble does not equate to suddenly being a good person. Such a big transition will take time.
► STRENGTHS:
Physical ↳ Appearance: Though he's less glam these days, Tahno has a pretty face and a good build, both of which could easily be used for manipulating others – something he may still be be prone to doing. We see him trying and failing to manipulate Korra with his looks in The Spirit of Competition, but that isn't to say the same attempt wouldn't work on other people.
↳ Muscle: He may not have his bending, but Tahno retains all the muscle he gained from training. With the body of a pro athlete, he's somewhat stronger than the average male. Not that it actually provides much of an advantage (see weaknesses).
Mental/Emotional ↳ Charisma: His charm is of the sleazy variety, but it seems to work for him regardless. During the height of his success, he had an entire posse that followed him around and supported his every move. They abandon him after he loses his bending, making it clear that the fame and fortune was the most important part of his personality to them, but the fact that they let him be their leader says something about his capabilities. He's good at getting people to do what he wants. It's doubtless more difficult without fame backing him up, but in the right circumstances could provide a social advantage.
↳ Cleverness: The cheating he engaged in, though cowardly, was pretty clever. If Bolin wasn't there to warn Korra in The Spirit of Competition, she almost certainly would have hit Tahno and disqualified her team. Without ever having spoken to her before, Tahno was able to accurately assess what would make her angry and used it against her. During the pro bending match in And The Winner Is, he uses illegal but innovative techniques in conjunction with his teammates, such as hiding rock pieces in water. He's not using that competence for anything good, but it's there.
► WEAKNESSES:
Physical ↳ Bendingless: Tahno has muscle, but that doesn't mean he knows how to use it. Unlike other nonbenders like Asami and Sokka, he doesn't have any training in nonbending related fighting. Without his bending, he is rendered effectively useless when it comes to physical confrontation.
Mental/Emotional ↳ Emotional instability: As proven by his reaction to Naga popping through the restaurant window in The Spirit of Competition and starting to lose the match in And The Winner Is, Tahno unravels whenever things don't go his way. Rather than trying to calm himself down, he throws childlike tantrums and focuses on taking others down. He shows little regard for the feelings of others in general and comes off as self absorbed, even after he's lost his bending. Aside from not apologizing to Korra in The Aftermath, he also doesn't ask if she's alright despite knowing that she went after Amon. For all he knows, she could have lost her bending as well, but he's too wrapped up in his own problems to inquire about it.
↳ Narcissism: In The Spirit of Competition and And The Winner Is, he's obsessed with his successes. In The Aftermath, he's obsessed with his failures. The subjects change but the focus does not – throughout everything, he cares most about himself.
Tahno | Avatar: Legend of Korra | Reserved ( 2/3 )
Before he even says a word, other characters are already shaping the viewer's perception of Tahno: Bolin is nearly paralyzed with fear upon first sight of him and warns Korra that he's a "nasty dude" who should not be messed with under any circumstances. What exactly he did to deserve such a reputation is unknown, but one thing is clear – this guy's trouble.
Tahno carries himself with an air of superiority compared to everyone else around him, even his teammates and fans, which makes intimidating people like Bolin quite easy. He isn't at all modest about his pro-bending team's various victories, his waterbending talents or the fact that he's good looking. Being the best is something he strives for and actually manages to achieve until the Fire Ferrets come on to the scene. When it becomes apparent that their team is legitimately talented and has a decent chance of knocking his own out of the Championship, Tahno immediately resorts to cheating – first by attempting to goad Korra into hitting him after their first meeting and later by breaking several rules in their official match against one another. In contrast to his previously calm and collected manner, he acts very dramatic and overemotional when faced with the possibility of losing, going as far as to instruct his teammates to send the Fire Ferrets to a "watery grave" all because of a simple game.
With his carefully curled hair and spiked eyeliner, Tahno sticks out like a sore thumb among pro-benders. In contrast to many of them, he lives for the glamor of it all. Keeping up appearances is just as imperative as winning to him. He always looks primped and polished, even when competing. While his equally glamorous teammates tuck their flowing locks inside their helmets during matches, Tahno lets his hair hang free so he can smugly flip it around in front of his opponents.
When the Wolfbats cheat during the Championship Tournament, the announcer sounds genuinely shocked and surprised. That leads me to believe this is a unique circumstance and something done out of desperation rather than habit. The Fire Ferrets were extremely talented up-and-comers and the first real threat the Wolfbats faced since they started competing. So while some of Tahno's gloating may be untrue, it seems that he really is a champion-level waterbender.
Tahno is also implied to be highly sexual, but considering the target audience of the show, it's presented in an implicit manner. In The Spirit of Competition, he's seen with a woman on each arm like a typical playboy. Later, he's shown invading Korra's personal space without a second thought and offering "private lessons." Though it was merely an attempt to rile her up, there's still plenty of sensuality involved in his speech and body language.
Surprisingly, Tahno is the first character on the show to stand up to Amon (the villain of the series) when confronted – everyone else is terrified of him, even the Avatar herself. This may make it seem like he's a very brave person, but in actuality he only does so out of pride. He regrets it the moment he's overpowered; that pride quickly melts into fear and anguish as he begs Amon not to take his bending.
Overabundance of pride is Tahno's ultimate downfall. Though his team wins the tournament (through unfair and underhanded means), he loses something much more important: his bending. Not only is this is akin to having a piece of his soul torn away, but it also means that the career he's put years of work into is now automatically over. The next time we see him, he's a complete mess. Everything that made him an intimidating figure before has been stripped away, leaving only a disheveled, sad shell of who he used to be. When he spots Korra, he calls her attention to him using her actual name for the first time rather than a belittling nickname. They proceed to have a polite conversation which concludes with Tahno requesting that Korra exact revenge on Amon for him, and she agrees. While this scene isn't proof that Tahno had a change of heart over night, it shows that he's moving in a different direction and becoming a little more respectful and less of a jerk. He's still not that nice of a guy – he had the chance to apologize to Korra for his previous actions, but chose not to. However, we can see that the potential is there.
After Tahno lost his bending, not only did it sever his unique spiritual connection to the element of water, but also destroyed a major piece of his identity. His occupation as a pro-bender was something he obviously took a lot of pride in and an important part of his life. Rather than resting after his traumatic experience, he spends the entire night visiting the best healers in the city and desperately trying to find a way to get his bending back. His bending means everything to him. It's who he is.
The fact that he's completely alone in the police station is telling. This is a stark contrast to a scene later in the series when Korra loses her bending; she's surrounded by friends and family who support her through every second of it. Tahno, on the other hand, has absolutely no one. If law enforcement felt it necessary to interrogate him about losing his bending, it would make sense for them to interview his two teammates as well, but neither of them are anywhere in sight. It's almost as if his failure is contagious and everyone wants to avoid him. Since Tahno is someone who craves attention and validation, we can assume this abandonment is making his depression that much worse. There's no doubt that he's been humbled by this experience, but again, humble does not equate to suddenly being a good person. Such a big transition will take time.
► STRENGTHS:
Physical
↳ Appearance: Though he's less glam these days, Tahno has a pretty face and a good build, both of which could easily be used for manipulating others – something he may still be be prone to doing. We see him trying and failing to manipulate Korra with his looks in The Spirit of Competition, but that isn't to say the same attempt wouldn't work on other people.
↳ Muscle: He may not have his bending, but Tahno retains all the muscle he gained from training. With the body of a pro athlete, he's somewhat stronger than the average male. Not that it actually provides much of an advantage (see weaknesses).
Mental/Emotional
↳ Charisma: His charm is of the sleazy variety, but it seems to work for him regardless. During the height of his success, he had an entire posse that followed him around and supported his every move. They abandon him after he loses his bending, making it clear that the fame and fortune was the most important part of his personality to them, but the fact that they let him be their leader says something about his capabilities. He's good at getting people to do what he wants. It's doubtless more difficult without fame backing him up, but in the right circumstances could provide a social advantage.
↳ Cleverness: The cheating he engaged in, though cowardly, was pretty clever. If Bolin wasn't there to warn Korra in The Spirit of Competition, she almost certainly would have hit Tahno and disqualified her team. Without ever having spoken to her before, Tahno was able to accurately assess what would make her angry and used it against her. During the pro bending match in And The Winner Is, he uses illegal but innovative techniques in conjunction with his teammates, such as hiding rock pieces in water. He's not using that competence for anything good, but it's there.
► WEAKNESSES:
Physical
↳ Bendingless: Tahno has muscle, but that doesn't mean he knows how to use it. Unlike other nonbenders like Asami and Sokka, he doesn't have any training in nonbending related fighting. Without his bending, he is rendered effectively useless when it comes to physical confrontation.
Mental/Emotional
↳ Emotional instability: As proven by his reaction to Naga popping through the restaurant window in The Spirit of Competition and starting to lose the match in And The Winner Is, Tahno unravels whenever things don't go his way. Rather than trying to calm himself down, he throws childlike tantrums and focuses on taking others down. He shows little regard for the feelings of others in general and comes off as self absorbed, even after he's lost his bending. Aside from not apologizing to Korra in The Aftermath, he also doesn't ask if she's alright despite knowing that she went after Amon. For all he knows, she could have lost her bending as well, but he's too wrapped up in his own problems to inquire about it.
↳ Narcissism: In The Spirit of Competition and And The Winner Is, he's obsessed with his successes. In The Aftermath, he's obsessed with his failures. The subjects change but the focus does not – throughout everything, he cares most about himself.